The Voyages of the Penelope and the Yydryl

..........................................~The Good Samaritan~.........................................

The two men busied themselves with lighting the fire, the cool summer breeze
was at odds with Boy In A Dress, then he saw that the snow was actually cherry
blossom, the Man/Girl smiled and then grimaced at the faint painful feelings of
a bruised face.

BIAD lay on a coarse blanket and watched the elderly men prepare camp, but his
mind was on what Scanlon and his men had done to him, he also pondered on
Mordred's actions in the beating.

"He must be a Demon, Sire... his features are not of this world" the black -haired Cyrus
muttered and jammed the thin stick through the rabbit's body, The man that had helped
BIAD to a drink of water, snorted and showed a kind smile.

"The man was crucified just as many of our people were, we must show compassion as
we travel this land, Cyrus" the white-bearded one said and glanced over at the prone
Boy In A Dress.

"Ah...you're back with us. My friend is Cyrus of Ashkellon and I am Joseph... Joseph of
Arimathea" he said and bowed his head once. Cyrus squinted his eyes and then smiled,
he nodded and went back to making the meal.

BIAD croaked a 'thank you' and attempted to rise, the sudden pain rushed in to stall his
movement. Joseph moved swiftly and helped him stand.
"You shouldn't be moving around so soon, you should let the wounds..." Cyrus stopped
speaking and looked open-mouthed at the creature before him.

The swollen jaw had disappeared and the lacerations on BIAD's legs were fading into
the pink lines, Cyrus gasped and pointed to the hermaphrodite's nail-wounds.
Joseph showed a serious face and raising a hand to say he meant no harm, he carefully
took BIAD's bandaged wrist and removed the wrapping.

The two travellers gasped at the sight, a small indentation lay just below the knuckles
but the skin had healed and the colour was of healthy flesh. Cyrus and Joseph both crossed
themselves and muttered a prayer.

"The power of the Grail still holds..." Joseph said softly "... God is with us" and the two long
-robed men dropped to their knees and prayed again.
BIAD merely tipped his head sideways and showed confusion.

The rabbit was a welcomed feast for the three men and it was during the meal that BIAD
introduced himself properly.
"I know it is confusing, gentlemen... my appearance I mean" BIAD said in his softest tone,
"I am from a place far from here and I know that what you see..." the Man/Girl looked down
at the large busom and short dress "... can cause fear in some folk"

Cyrus stopped the chunk of meat from entering his mouth and whispered "Holy Spirit...
you are a Demon" and slowly reached for the small sword next to him.
BIAD smiled his best smile and shook his his head of long black hair " I am no more a Demon
than you..." he hissed " just a man who is different" Joseph moved the sword away from his
friend and asked a question.

"Tell us Sir, who nailed you to that scaffold and for what reason? Be aware that I know the
difference betwixt a true and a lie" Joseph warned and followed it with the familiar kind
-grin.
BIAD nodded that he understood and related the tale.

"I and my young friend -Gerald were attempting to rescue King Arthur's consort from the
hands of his realtion, a man known as Mordred" The Man/Girl wondered if he should tell
the wary-Cyrus that Gerald was an Elf, he moved on with the story.

"We were surrounded as we took Guinevere from the locked bedroom, Mordred and his men
set upon us and Gerald and Guinevere escaped. I decided to stay and fight off the Guards,
hopefully assuring the Lady's escape... it worked I believe" BIAD said and chewed on a leg
bone.

Cyrus of Ashkellon dropped a stick into the flames and showed that he was soaking the
information in, Joseph rolled a finger to go on and BIAD was reminded of the way Nenothtu
used to do that, a flicker of nostalgia bloomed inside the wig-wrapped head.

"I was beaten and after refusing to tell them which way that Guinevere had gone, I was
placed up on that... that stake and left for dead" the Man/Girl recalled using all his will not
to unleash his hair on the brutes that had kicked and punched him, but he knew that the
defence weapon that Professor Shaw had discovered all thise years in the future -would one
day slake their thirst on those bullies and the one known as Scanlon would feel it the most.

The three men ate in silence and pondered on the tale, the evening was coming into the
forest.


(Continued Below)

...............~~Teaching Fishes~~.................

When Adam came to, he was alone in the barge, adrift in the mists. The oars, and those who had been guiding the barge were gone. The sky had darkened from twilight to pitch black, and the Earth's moon was shining into his face, easily bright enough to part the mists.

It took him a moment to place himself and to recall his last impulsive outburst, and then he closed his eyes and sighed forlornly. Hopeless, he thought. Honestly, no-denying-it, clear-as-crystal: I am Hopelessness. He wondered if the Fremendroid he had knocked overboard had drowned, or worse, been sucked down into the bog. And then that dreadful sensation of whooshing shame and terror flushed from his chest to his head.

The wraiths of the Legionairres, the animated bog bodies he had encountered when he first arrived in this underworld…he had slain them himself! And the Victorian-clad women with the gaping wounds…his work as well! And now he had slain another?

Tears welled up in Adam's eyes and they flew open. "No!!" he shouted into the darkness. "No! I take it back! I was coerced, I was forced!!" He heard his yelping bounce over the watery surface on which his lonely barge floated, but no echo returned to him. He gazed up at the moon, which had, he was sure, grown larger of a sudden, and it occurred to him that his awful feeling of remorse and his attempt to deflect his own part in the slayings were the cause.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted at it, but at the same time he hoped it would come closer and closer and simply suck him into its brilliant glow and obliterate him forever. "Please! Believe me! Someone, anyone??!! I'm sorry! He made me do it!"

And now he heard a response. A whisper beside his ear. He could even feel the breath of the speaker.

"No," said the voice. "Your apology is believed, but you must take accountability for your actions. No one made you. You chose to do someone's bidding. That, friend, is the error you must correct."

Adam's skin grew cold and damp, he felt goose-flesh from head to toe. "Who is that?!" he said. "Who are you!??"

No response. But now he felt the barge being moved by something other than the bobbing bogwater and saw the moon descend upon him until it overwhelmed the very sky. He sat up and shot his gaze round frantically to see who was pulling or pushing the barge.

"Fiona?!" he called out, hoping beyond hope that his rescuer had come, once again, to rescue him. He dared not get into the water, though, he had learned that lesson well enough. "Charon?! Who the hell ARE you people, and WHERE AM I?!!"

Just then he heard a splashing, squishy sound and the silhouette of a small, bent figure approached him. Or rather, the barge approached the figure, with Adam as nothing more than a passenger. The figure was pulling on what looked like a shining thread, as thin as a spider's web, which was drawing the barge through the water and to itself.

The moon's light became blindingly bright as he moved toward the figure, and he put up a hand to shield the glare. What he saw in silhouette appeared to be an ancient person in a housedress, wearing a Sherpa hat and Wellingtons, of a stature so petite that he marveled at the strength shown.

"Things are easily pulled across, water, Adam, but you know that," said the figure in a feminine voice, answering his very thought. "And thoughts float above it easily enough. How do you think that whisper reached you when I was out of your field of vision at the time?"

"You are not Fiona," he said.

"Correct," answered the female. She placed her hands on the side of the barge and tipped it toward herself with a force that might have easily upturned it. Adam compensated by leaning as vertically as possible and grabbed onto the other side, which was now high above the water. "You are alone, with no oars, on a bog where Fiona cannot help you. I reeled you in just to get your attention, and now I'm going to throw you back. Just like my son did once, when I had taken him fishing, long ago. He caught a bluegill, not a large one, and the hook had impaled its lip perfectly, just as intended. He did not leave it to suffocate on the ground and later consume it. Rather, he unhooked its lip, held it up to his face and addressed it with a question: 'Now, what did we learn?', and then he gently tossed it back into the lake."

"He must not have been hungry," said Adam sullenly.

"Wrong," said the female. She added nothing more.

"Well who are you?"

"My name is Gert," she said. "I've just come from Dag, and before her I spoke with your friend Nenothtu. They are concerned about you, but caught up in dramas which must unfold before they can reach you. When you and the eyeless one and Gerald left the underworld, you were meant to work as a team. You, however, got distracted by the comely stride of a nightwalker, and Charon intervened."

"How do you know this?" asked Adam.

"Word gets around," said the old woman and she winked and smiled. "There are many of us who know, who watch, who hear, who gossip and delight in the actions of you seekers. And occasionally we step forward out from behind the veil to give you some guidance. Right now, you must accept accountability for having taken lives, the lives of others. You did those things, Adam, independently. Why?"

"Death told me I had to," said Adam flatly. "Have you met him? He's not easy to argue with."

"I have, more than once," said Gert. "So has your friend Nenothtu, and the eyeless one knows him intimately well…but that is not something I have a right to inform you about. You must realize that you have choices, Adam, and that you make choices and decisions on your own. I am telling you so that you do not become despondent and give up. You are soon to meet up with your friends once more. But if you decide you wish no longer to attempt it, you are free to climb into this very bog and drown yourself. I know that you feel badly about yourself, that you are jealous, and proud, and impulsive. I also know that you genuinely want to be a good person. I urge you to stay the course, lest you simply end this effort only to begin it again, right back where you started, but without the benefit of your friends."

Adam had nothing to say to this. He watched as Gert let go the starboard rim and unhooked the sliver thread that held it. Before she let go, she looked him deeply into the eyes:

"Now, Adam. What did we learn?"

And then she vanished.

(Continued From Above... no, above that one!)

BIAD sighed dramatically as he cleaned the plate that he had eaten from, Jospeph realised
that the odd-looking being in the alarmingly-short dress wanted to add more to his recent
account of his ordeal.

"What is it son...?" the gentle old man said and placed a weather-lined hand on the bare
shoulder infront of him, the eyeless creature with the ruby-red lips looked back.
"I have more to add and I'm reluctant to tell you without your friend becoming hostile again"
BIAD said, Cyrus was taking his bedroll from his horse.

"Cyrus is of a war-like race, we met in Bethlehem during my travels to spread the Lord's word,
it is true, he is a friend and loyal too" Joseph said and BIAD could here the fondness for his
friend, the tickle of missing his own friends -set off again.

The Man/Girl nodded and finished his tale.
"I come from a time in the future... and I have visted many histories and other worlds" BIAD
prepared himself for a sudden assault, but he wanted to repay the old man for his care.

"The religeon you hold dear will endure, many humans will do great things because of it and
many others will kill for it" BIAD watched Joseph's face for any clues to what he was thinking.
Cyrus finished making his bed and ambled over, he couldn't hear the quiet discussion and
wondered if the Demon was repenting.

Joseph produced a wink that surprised BIAD and showed a knowing smile "I know... and I
have a confession too" he whispered. BIAD placed his red-nailed fingers on his hips and
waited for more.

"I was in Bethlehem when you and your fellow-Angels came to assist in the Messiah's birth"
he said and glanced towards Cyrus, his friend had shown the 'O-shaped' mouth again.
"Don't be afraid -My friend, our Saviour was named after the creature you see before you"
Joseph announced and moved off to gather his blankets, Cyrus actually gasped.

"I seek forgiveness, I did not know" the dark-haired man with the black beard said softly and
began to lower himself on one knee, BIAD grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"I forgive you, but please do as I ask" the long-fringed Man/Girl said strongly and Cyrus
answered with " anything my friend"

Boy In A Dress sucked in a breath of air and kept a hold on the warrior's arm.
"You will protect that man with your life and you must make sure that nobody ever knows
that we met, it will be a secret between us three" BIAD ordered and moved his head to show
he had finished.
Cyrus nodded back and BIAD smiled to show kindness.

The two men were snoring quietly as Boy In A Dress slipped out of the campsite and headed
towards Mordred's Fortress, this time the Man/Girl's smile showed no hint of kindness.

~*~Island~*~

As Adam drifted on the bog again, alone in the dark, he allowed his mind to drift as well...a song entered his head...
( Click here for mood music: youtu.be... )
It was soothing, comforting, in its rhythm and tone, but it filled him with a strange combination of remorse and sadness. He had some thinking to do...
so he closed his eyes from time to time as it played out,and the image that melded with the music was of his precious Dag.


What had he done? He allowed tears to slide down his cheeks silently as he reviewed. The crone had indeed planted the seed in his mind that was required for him to do so. Was he such a tool? Was he guilty of those heinous murders?

Aye, he thought forlornly, but he did not think further and only focused on the music and the image. He was entirely unaware that he was being watched while he drifted along. He no longer even cared what was to become of him. He had found the love that exists between the ethereal spirits of the incarnate, the created, the sentient...and he had failed to grasp it to himself. He had let go.

He thought back to the lakeside, where he had last seen her. The strange being, the Boy In a Dress, had done nothing but help him, and support him. He recalled how hateful he had been, if not in words, then in thoughts, and of his vanity and jealousy. Who was the more worthy of the woman Dag?

Adam, drifting beneath the moon, finally saw what was real and what mattered most. Each of them, this unseemly and awkward band of friends, had been meant for eons to find one another. They were more than friends...they were family. A family not bound by the blood ties of reproduction, but by the silver strand of the Divine, from whence they all were begotten.

Was he the last of them to know this?

He felt his face flush, and was suddenly aware of the real, the connectedness, the Oneness that are all. He had harmed others during various lifetimes. Yet, he had been loved all the same.

Then he grinned, and succumbed to the knowledge. He was no failure! He was a student! An apprentice! And this madcap crowd of seeming misfits were his team, his posse, his pep club...it was time to step up to the plate and own himself, denying all others the power to coerce him into acts of evil.

President Bransom's spirit, sensing this, seeing it from the other dimension, scowled in anger. So did the Dark Lord, and most significantly, the Grim Reaper who stood just beyond sight, and had been expectantly grinning...
(scroll across pic to have a view of what Adam would have seen had he opened his eyes)



...but Adam did not know this. And he would not have cared.

"Dammit," muttered Death as he retreated into the shadows and mist of the bog. This one had also escaped. Death returned to where Pandora was waiting and saw her grinning, but chose to ignore the slight.

"You see?" she murmured as she moved toward him and allowed her luscious arm to brush against his robe-sleeve. "I've told you....the one thing that remained in the box, my somber devotee, will always prevail. I don't know how many times you will have to see proof of this before you get it. That is why, darling, all of them will eventually escape your grasp."

"Shut your bloody pie-hole, wench," he growled and drifted further into the darkness.

Pandora smiled affectionately, knowing his tendency to frustration, but followed after him all the same. "Why will you not accept it? You could retire," she added gently, "and perhaps then we could join them in their own reality and no longer have to view them enviously."

The Splitter, hearing this from where he crouched behind a mound of peat, smiled to himself.

Once they had again evaporated to the otherworld, he stepped forward, splashing through the murky water, and grasped the boat. Adam opened his eyes.

"C'mon, then," said the Splitter, "let's go get them. I grow weary of the wait."

********************

Dag and Brittle were given the map and the compass, enough provisions for the journey, and a satchel of tools with which to cut firewood, shoot Copperheads, and repair tack. They were given warm cloaks, plenty of matches, and a flare made of fireworks material.

"If you get into trouble you cannot escape," said Fiona as they turned their steeds' heads toward the east, "use this."

"What will it do?" asked Brittle.

Fiona refrained from rolling her eyes, but Dag, who was beyond Brittle in Fiona's line of vision, did not. Fiona smiled at Dag for the vicarious gesture and said to Brittle simply, "What it's meant to do."

"Time's awastin'," she added. "Tick tock tick tock."

Dag reined her horse and legged it forward, and Brittle's mount turned without his guidance, intent on following its companion with or without a rider.

Within five minutes, Dag and Brittle were over the ridge and out of sight of the outfitters and Fiona.

Fiona shook her head and sighed, and turned back toward the supplies cabin.

"You think they'll make it?" asked one of the Outfitters.

"I don't know, Ben. I really don't know. But you keep that sword out of sight for now, and beside you at all times," she said.

Ben bowed low to her and said, "Yes'm."

"Rise up," she said. Which he did, and then she turned and sailed from the site. Sslar stepped out of the shadows next to Ben, who patted her green head and took a long, deep breath.

He hoped they would prevail, but he had his doubts.

.............................................~The Debt~...............................................

Boy In A Dress ran and the night ran with him, the two sleeping men from the Far
East had camped a few miles from Morded's abode on the river bend and BIAD knew
he would have to put some speed under his high-heels to deliver his gift and get back
in a decent time.



As BIAD rounded a low hill, his thoughts turned to Adam. Was he safe? Had he located
Dag...? the hermaphrodite's smile tightened as he worried about the young Doctor's
whereabouts "you better make sure he's okay" he said quietly to the night and wondered
of his brother and the awesome beauty known as Pandora could hear him.
Without words, he vowed to get back to the mis-matched crew of The Yydryl.

The forest hooted and chittered in the Man/Girl's passing, slender vines and low branches
seemed to move out of his way and snagging plants lay flat as the red-dressed maniac
danced across the forest floor.

The temperature of the river meant nothing to BIAD as slipped into the chuckling waters,
The dark-brooding building waited where the river became deep, the slowing current passing
by Mordrd's Fortress made stealth a must.



"Will we dance -my Dear Mordred...?" BIAD whispered as he rose from the cold water and
climbed the muddy bank. "Will you hold me as I hold you?" he hissed and stifled a giggle, the
rage inside him was as cold as the stones on the riverbed.

Boy In A Dress scaled the walls with ease this time, his hair stretching alarmingly and almost
reaching the dark windows at the rear of the building. BIAD scampered up the walls like a red
spider.

"Maybe Scanlon will interupt our waltz...?" the ruby red lips uttered as BIAD's hair slipped the
wooden-catch of the lead-lined window and the grinning Demon stepped into the darkness.
...................................................................
Death shook his hood-covered head and sighed with annoyance, somewhere -a flock of birds
fell from the sky. Pandora held the Crystal cube in her well-manicured hand and twisted her
lips at her lover's-brother's revenge-hunt.

"Childish... utterly childish" she snapped and glanced at the tall robed-being at her side.
Pandora placed the see-through object with the image of BIAD entering Mordrd's bedroom
-onto the large book that Death regulary searched and began to to pull her hair in a pony-tail.
The Reaper forced himself to look away from the loin-churning arched-neck of the beauty
and slid towards a darkened corner of the room.

"You help him with the powers of the Grail, you seperate him from..." Pandora took a hand
from her workings of her hair and waved it dramatically "... from those others and let him
arrive at the conclusion that he's better than the mortals... and what does he do?"
A 'Humph' ended her complaint and the pony-tail bobbed sexily on her smooth-skinned
back.

Death appeared from the gloom and as the hem of his robes flapped and curled in his
movement, Pandora saw he held the ornate box that she coveted more than anything.
"Maybe it's time?" Death said softly and silently moved towards the Deity with thunder
on her brow.

The 'must-be-kissed' lips widened in a smile and Pandora's eyes sparkled with a unknown
malice.
...................................................................
Mordred choked to death... technically it would be that he choked to death, although as the
Albino lay on his cot and squirmed against the million strands of hair that sought every orifice
-the stripping of his flesh would have come close to bringing on a heart attack.

Morded had fought, he had lashed out with the knife that he kept under his pillow and twice,
it looked like he may of escaped the red-Devil's clutches... but it could have been that BIAD was
just enjoying himself.



(Continued Below)

(Continued from Above)

BIAD looked on as his permo-wig paid the debt of being nailed to the cross and as the white
-haired man that had stolen Guinevere died, the Man/Girl whispered "eye-for-an-eye...? it's
your book"

The sun was aching to slip over the horizon as Boy In A Dress searched the courtyard for the
Head of The House-Guards known as Scanlon and after entering the small man-smelling
barracks, he dispatched the five sleeping Gurads and reckoned he'd paid his brother back
also.

"Run... run you bastard" BIAD hissed as the human in the suit of armour begged for his life,
the hermaphrodite had discovered Scanlon watching the woods from the parapet next to
a flaming brazier.

The Guard known as Bernard had left during the night and Scanlon was deliberating on
whether to search the village with a heavy hand, that pondering was far from his mind
now.
"I was under orders, Sire... I was told that you were the Devil that took children in the night
and ate them" Scanlon blubbered and dropped to his knees, the clang of the metal-leggings
loud in the early-morning air.

BIAD smiled and the fool who had bullied all his life took the gesture as pity, he saw his slim
-chance and took it. The jewelled dagger flew through the air from the House-Guard's hand
and Scanlon imagined the red-dressed Demon staggering backwards with a look of surprise
on that lunatic-face.

It was a red fingernail that diverted the course of the dagger, the sharp blade sparked at the
meeting and the object covered in rubies and small emeralds buried itself among the river
side's dew-jewelled grass.
"I said run" BIAD reminded the wide-eyed Scanlon and that's just what he did, the forest
seemed the best escape-route.



The Summer sun hauled itself into the sky as Boy In A Dress finished his business with the
man in the metal-suit... it wasn't nice and it certainly isn't poilte to mention here.

BIAD sat under the waterfall and let the cold-clean water wash the blood and gore away, the
day was here and he knew he was too late to get back to Joseph and Cyrus' campsite.
The dripping-wet Man/Girl just hoped that he'd repaid his debt and his thoughts moved to his
next task... getting back to his friends.



"Onwards?" BIAD muttered among the clear droplets and smiled at the new day.

..........................................~Be Still My Beating Heart~..........................................

The romantics among us would see a forlorn love that ached to bloom, for the pragmatic
ones sitting in the front row - they would see a sordid affair by two people behind the back
of a trusting King.

Lancelot gently placed his hand on Guinevere's hip and kissed her again, Avalon was still
dozing after Arthur's party for getting his consort back and the morning was quiet in the
rose garden at the rear of Camelot.

"We could go to France..." Lancelot mumbled and plunged his face into her sweet-smelling
hair, his blood raced and the small veins on Lancelot's temples throbbed under the skin.
"... my Father would keep us in Rennes" he breathed into Guinevere's ear and moved his
hand up the silk dress, pushing her body closer.



"Or you could put the Lady down before I rip you a new one" Boy In A Dress said easily from
the neatly-trimmed privet hedge and prepared himself to fight. Guinevere gasped and
turned to see who the intruder was, she imagined Arthur stood with tears on his craggy
cheeks and that cursed sword in his hand.

A long-fringed Man/Girl in red high-heels and a ridiculously-short dress stood smiling on
the gravel path and the Queen shrieked with happy surprise.

"It's you..." she said loudly and ran to the odd-looking creature, Lancelot reached for his
sword and then remembered that he'd left it in the Round Table room. "... You came and my
saviour is safe" Guinevere said, wrapping her arms around BIAD and kissing the grinning face.

The hermaphrodite blushed and keeping his hands to sides, he let the adoration fall on him,
at the same time keeping an eye on the long-haired youngster with the bulge in his uniform.

BIAD had forced himself to recall the stories of King Arthur and Camelot, the Janitor called
Jenkins had read a yellowing-paged paperback in Dugway and some of the myths and legends
surrounding the shining knights and the famous round table had held the young Boy In A
Dress' attention.

"Yer see son..." Jenkins had said putting the book on his denim-covered lap "Arthur was in
love with this philly known as Guinevere and this frog had set his cap for her" the English
language took a brutal hit by the sweating bald-headed Brit and BIAD was looking confused.

The tests were over for the day and the Man/Girl was recovering from six hours in the big
freezer, the sun and the story was welcoming to the young-being in the red attire.

"The King was going to marry Guinevere, but when he found out that the French-bloke called
Lancelot was seeing 'er behind his back, well... it broke his bloody heart" Jenkins stated and
jammed the meat sandwich into his mouth.

The rose garden was a long way from Dugway Proving Grounds, but the novel's information
had still managed to travel all the way to this 'then-and-now'
It was this that BIAD was pondering on -the idea that Time Travel was connected to the brain,
when Lancelot pulled the adoring Guinevere away from the Red Demon in the strange shoes.

"This beast saved you...?" the handsome man with the shoulder-length hair asked and stared
towards Boy In A Dress "...the devil should be ran through and burned" he sneered and BIAD
saw his cheek tick with nervousness.

The so-called 'Devil' kept the smile on his red lips and hissed "you can try, son... care to go for
the title?" every word dripped with menace and somewhere -he could hear Nenothtu
guffawing at his half-hearted blustering. BIAD mentally shook his head and focused on the
scene at-hand.

Guinevere shushed them both and stepped in front of her lover and yet faced BIAD "I know
what you saw may seem confusing, but Sir... I assure you everything is cordial" she said with
a level gaze. BIAD nodded as if he understood and put his hands behind his back.

"Listen Lady..." those red-lips muttered "...you're in two-minds whether to let the young 'un
here get your goods and I'll bet the fop has already had a taste!"

(Continued Below)

(Continued from Above -unless WildTimes throws something in!)

Lancelot was quick -BIAD gave him that, but when the Man/Girl's hair lifted the taller man's
feet to tip-toe on the daily-raked gravel, his rage was as fleet to turn to fear. BIAD smiled into
the wide-eyed face of the Knight and told him his price.

"Kid... I didn't like the outcome of Jenkins' reading, but I'm cutting you a break..." in the back
of BIAD's mind, he was wondering why he was talking like his gun-toting friend. "...Bring me
the King's sword and I will never speak of what I saw here... savvy?" the demon-hair moved
and tightened for emphasis.

The man who -as a boy, ran through the cornfields near his Father's chateau and came across
the last wolf in France, the same boy made France a place of no wolves with his wooden
sword and a knightly-courage. That boy had grown to the man now urinating on that well-
kept path in dread of what the Beelezebub with bare legs had demanded from him.

BIAD just smiled and smiled and then turned his head to speak to the Queen with her hands
at her lips, he again shook away the thoughts of how nice her dress was.

"Midnight-on the roof of Camelot... be there or be rectangular" the being who held the
Captain of her heart off the ground said softly.

Moments later, Lancelot lay on the dark-stained stones gasping for air and pushing the
beautiful woman kneeling down beside him -away with a flailing hand.
"We must do as he asks, my love for he holds spells that will turn us into blocks" Guinevere
said and comforted the Knight of The Round Table with p*ss on his shoes, Lancelot groaned
and rubbed his sore throat.
BIAD had gone as quickly as he had appeared and wondered lightly if Nenothtu would have
been proud of his negotiations with the two lovers.

The roses enjoyed the cool-air of the Summer morning as the weird-being struggled along the
white-gravelled path in those ridiculous high-heels.

.....~~One-Way Road~~......

note to readers: if you'd like a soundtrack for this entry, click on the link below. or do so later, if you like...

Dag and Brittle were completely away from any signs of civilization before either of them spoke.

"You know," said Dag, "I'm not sure what's going on here, but I feel as though I'm being tricked into an intrigue that is -- 'A' -- none of my business, and --'two' -- somehow going to get me further from my friends."

"Why do you feel that way?" asked Brittle innocently.

"Just a hunch," she said. "So here we are, on Copperhead Road...and you know, of course, one never comes back from Copperhead Road."

She turned in her saddle and looked at him. Brittle made no reply.

Dag turned back to watch the scenery as her trusty steed wound down the steep path toward the canyon's floor and wished idly that she'd been given a mule instead. Horses were just not as nimble of foot as mules, and mules made smarter decisions.

But, it was what it was:

She was alone with a stranger who was purportedly her half brother, on a dangerous one-way road, to a place she had never been. Her only useful tool for navigating was a crudely drawn map and an archaic compass. She had no weapon that was younger than antiquity, nor did she have any type of communication device. The only tool in her equipage was a rusty sword in a weathered and split scabbard that had been tied with sinew to a hook on her saddle. She had withdrawn it from its tired sheath and inspected it before they had departed, and had been decidely nonplussed.

She had frowned, and asked, "This is it? This is all you've got?"

But the outfitter, a young boy -- obviously an apprentice and of about age twelve -- had only shrugged his shoulders when she had asked. His eyes had been as wide as a rising sun, and she could see that he was smitten to distraction with her and also that he wasn't Vandalia's most savant of idiots.

Great. If gasoline were brains he couldn't drive a pissant's gocart around a Cheerio, she had thought to herself (and was taken by surprise, because she knew not what a gocart or a cheerio were, let alone a pissant, and gasoline was something that hadn't existed for eons. She also did not realize that she had been telepathically sent the message by Ben, who was watching from a place unseen.)

Now, as she recalled the boy's wide-eyed adoration, though, she felt bad for having had such a hard thought about him, and hoped his bosses treated him well.

The clop-clop of the horse's gait, coupled with the gentle swaying in the saddle as it shifted her weight, lent her a sense of being relaxed enough to allow her thoughts to drift.

Then the horse spooked.

She reflexively clenched her legs round its barreled rib cage and adjusted her center of gravity, and easily stayed seated on her mount as she spun it in tight circles until it calmed and stood, though its ears were flattened against its head and it skipped nervously in place, its eyes wide with fear.

"Easy," she murmured, and stroked its neck and whithers, "easy there, girl."

Brittle, however, had not fared as well, and while she'd been spinning her mare to keep it under control, his horse a reared, then bucked, and then shied, dumped him, and bolted back up the trail toward home.

Really? thought Dag. For crying out loud, are all men so slow to react?

She didn't have time to sigh and roll her eyes, though, for now she saw the snake that had startled her horse (which startled response had triggered Brittle's mount to bolt). It was coiling itself and its head was raised level with Brittle's thigh. If it bit him, and he perished, she would be completely alone.

She drew the rusty sword, but flung it away from her immediately, for it was hot as smelted iron in her hand. She gasped, and looked back at Brittle and the snake. Brittle's eyes were wide now, with death facing him head on, and she clambered off her horse and grabbed a big stick and headed toward him.

Even as she did so, she could see she was going to be too late. The serpent's jaws were gaping, its fangs extended, and its eyes narrowed...she started to scream.

"Lancel--!" and then she fell to her shapely rump, tripping backward at the sight of the green blur that suddenly exploded from the brush. She watched as it canoned into Brittle (who became suddenly airborne and was quickly several yards away) and then whirled and quickly seized the snake, gave it a solid shake that broke its neck, and then bit it in half before spitting the head bit into the bushes.

Dag sat with eyes and mouth wide open as she viewed this scene, holding her breath and fearing for her own life, until the green dispatcher slowed its motion enough to be identifiable.

"Sslar!" she said. And the big green cat walked over to her and rubbed up against her pretty shoulder, her eyes squinting at Dag in a friendly gesture of pleased greeting.

She flung her arms round the warm green neck and then, having been relieved of the necessity to be the one in charge of saving the day, she succumbed to the very U-Man emotion which one experiences after having narrowly escaped death at the hands of an unexpected savior....a sort of overwroughtedness...and she began to sob.

Brittle, meanwhile, had scrabbled to where the sword lay, tried to pick it up, but had pulled his hand back as well.

It was hot as blue fire.

For your listening pleasure:

~~A Real Hero's Hero~~

Brittle's horse came heaving back to the barn just as Ben had finished locking things down for the day. He heard it thundering across the paddock at the same time as the boy did, and their gazes locked for a moment. The boy cringed as the old wrangler's left eye seemed to goggle even larger than ever.

"Dagnab it, Cain," said Ben in a very low voice. Cain stood rooted to the spot. "Well?!" Ben raised his voice one notch, "go git 'im!"

It was no fault of the boy's that Brittle had been tossed from the horse, and it had been only natural for the creature to return home, but Ben was cranky and not in any mood for a late afternoon. He'd seen Sslar trot off behind Dag and Brittle, but he could not give himself away from where he'd been hiding, watching them get safely away with the sword. Now the horse's sweating bulk told him loud and clear there had been trouble. They'd been gone for only two hours!

Cain made no utterance as he ducked out of the tack room and into the paddock to look after the relieved mount, and Ben appeared a moment later. He sighed a brief note of relief. At least it was not Dag's horse, and the sword with it.

Then he changed his mind. "Cain," he called out. "Wait a minute, son." The youngster stopped in mid-motion and looked at Ben warily, expectantly. Ben walked toward the horse and boy, and waved toward the cabin where the outfitters sheltered and relaxed. As he slipped the bridle from the horse's head he said, "Git. Git on back ta the cabin, and batten the hatches, and then git on home. I'll look after it." He patted the boy on the head.

He stooped so that Cain's face was level with his own, and spoke in a low mentory sort of voice. "T'aint yer fault, son, yer'd no way a' knowing the idjit couldn't ride," he said. "Yer'd think some'un sure as shootin' a first triber'd know how to ride afore he c'n walk, eh?" Now he nudged Cain with an elbow. "Go on, git home, git some rest and c'mon back tomorry." Cain wasted no time at all with this instruction, and high-tailed it out of the paddock before Ben could finish muttering, "Poor kid, jest a few pellets short of a shell."

With the apprentice well away, Ben led the horse to the water trough and while it was slaking he went to fetch a pail of sweet feed and it plunged its muzzle into the comforting reward. After making certain the animal had no injuries, and its hooves were clear of rocks or other irritants, he replaced the bridle and double checked that the nose-piece was fitted correctly. He was glad that folks had learnt how to treat horses better and that they could be trained to ride without a piece of steel in their mouths. He'd always hated watching a heavy-handed brute torturing a beast out of sheer stupidity; one only needed to think to them and they'd go along with the plan.

As he swung himself into the saddle he muttered, "But then, not all folks think clear 'nuff fer horses, do they," he patted the horses whithers and turned back toward the trail head. "C'mon, feller, let's go fetch 'em. "Twas plain as day to me that Hero there wudn't gonna get Dag ta where she needs goin'," he said, and as the shadows lengthened behind them, they headed east down Copperhead Road.

*************************

Deep underground in the Naica cave, Gert stood gazing into a pool of water, a satisfied smile on her face. Beside her, Merlin also watched the scene between Lancelot and the serpent, the girl, and the cat. His face showed more chagrine than victory, though. Gert held out her hand, palm up, to him, without looking away from the scrying pool, and Merlin reached into a pocket of his robe and produced her prize: a luscious truffle of the universe's creamiest dark chocolate, laced with just a trace of the most high-grade Melange that could be found.

"You're lucky you're able to keep your eyes from inking, you know," he grumbled. "If you recall, it was I who taught you the spell for that."

"Yes, Taliesen," said Gert, "I know. Now come, we must prepare for young Adam's arrival. The Splitter has retrieved him from the lake and they'll be here very soon."

"What is your plan for the sword?" the ancient wizard asked her. He hated that he could not read her thoughts, but the High Priestesses had long ago perfected the telepathic masking process.

"Ah, now, if I told you, there would no suspense to the story at all, would there?" she answered. She walked away from the scrying pool as he followed, and smiled to herself. She knew Excalibur would take care of itself. She also knew that while Lancelot was about to learn a few hard lessons, it was absolutely for the best. Every parent needs to know when consequences should be allowed to run their course, and the cost of Lancelot's transgression against Arthur, with Guinevere so long ago, was finally about to be paid.

She reminded herself that she owed the Splitter for hastening this one along.

~*~ The Neno’s to the Rescue ~*~

‘What’s all dem U-Man’s doin’?’ Chumley whispered to Carpet who lay beside him in the hot sand. Both the ‘Neno’s’ looked like a shimmering mirage against the rocks of the overhang where they watched a long line of people leaving the compound. To the front of the line 6 men carried a long wooden box on their shoulders, to the back came a beautiful woman leading a riderless horse.

‘That’s a funeral for dead U-Mans.‘ Carpet continued his explanation when the familiar lines to each side of Neno/Chumley’s face creased in a mammoth frown. ‘Someone of importance must have died.’

‘Silo’s important!’ Chumley struggled to his knees, Carpet, enjoying the strength in his new found arms cut him back down again.

‘No you fool that’s not Silo, she’s alive.’ Carpet’s hand closed over the satchel they’d found at the abandoned camp the Green Man and Serendipity book still safe within. ‘I’d know if she was...dead.’ Carpet whispered more to himself than Chumley.

The two friends had been reunited thanks to the Tumbler II. She’d not only brought Carpet earth side from Ship and tracked down Chumley who’d been hopelessly lost and wandering in circles but led them all to the outskirts if the compound where she and the Tumbler I now waited for their return in cloaking mode. The reunion of the big bio-machines sparked a heated debate of Ship’s protocol, the meeting of Chumley and his friend Carpet even more confusion. It took some explaining for Carpet to get the others to understand he too was using a U-Man ‘Neno suit’ but once the big Regalian and Ship's Droids wrapped heir minds around Carpet’s exit from Ship and into U-Man form he seemed extremely pleased.

‘So Silo in dere - what we waitin’ for?’ Chumley began a belly crawl from rock to cactus to dune towards the opened gates of the compound Carpet not at all reluctant to follow just not enjoying being behind the ungainly Regalian. ‘The suit does not make the man’ Carpet grumbled and spit more sand kicked up by Chumley’s flailing boots before giving up and climbing to his feet to walk behind his friend who believed himself to be in stealth mode. Anyway, there was no more need for sneaking about the gates were obviously unguarded and the procession of people far enough away to give them time to hide should anyone return afoot.

Carpet watched Chumley continue to crawl forward, stop and without turning wave Carpet to follow before moving forward.

‘Chumley...’ Carpet tried, but not too hard.

‘Shhhh dey hear us!’ Chumley flopped a bit faster now that the gates were just yards away.

‘Chumley...’ Carpet said a little louder trying not to laugh.

‘Shhhh! You needs ta quit tinkin’ like da rug! Tink like dem U-Man’s! Dey see us!’ Chumley hissed.

‘Quit thinking like a rug? Look who’s crawling on his belly.’ Carpet laughed and gave his friend a kick in the side.

Startled Chumley turned and quickly caught Carpet’s ankle in a vise like grip pushed him off balance with a piston like thrust then yanked him flat to the sand in one smooth motion where the two laughed and began an impromptu wrestling match just inside the gates. Sand and dust whirled around the pair as they tossed each other, jumped and wrastled like growing pups enjoying their skin.

‘You two better stop foolin’ and get back to work before Taggart sees you!’ Margo called the empty threat from above. ‘The funeral’s over and the others are coming back already.‘ Carpet and Chumley watched the lady who’d been leading the horse ride towards them and back through the gate. ‘Come on you idiots. Follow me.’

Carpet and Chumley rose quickly to do as they were told. If they didn’t she’d wonder why. If they ran she’d wonder why. If she’d of turned in the saddle and seen one of the ‘twins’ try to take the hand of the other before getting it slapped away she’d a wondered at that too, but not as much as the fact the two looked exactly like the man she’d left safely drugged in Taggart’s room. But Margo didn’t turn back only shouted over her shoulder ‘I need your help at the holding cabins’ and healed the horse into a trot not doubting the roughnecks would do as they were told. Now her obligatory part in Mac’s funeral was completed she had to find a way to get Gep and Pip out of the compound and away. From there she’d kill Taggart herself before the handsome drugged stranger took that pleasure clean away from her. Plus he had the alien to look after and Margo wanted her gone too.

‘What we do now?’ Chumley whined and shivered following the woman ridding an animal that reminded him of Ship’s ex-Armor Deson. And Deson was dead wasn‘t he? Chumley didn‘t like it one bit. ‘Carpet? Maybe we get dead in dere?’ Chumley whined again mixing coincidence with reality and reached again for Carpet’s hand.

‘Would you stop that you big dolt!' Carpet slapped his hands again. 'We’re not going to get dead in here! We’re going to find Silo and get back to the Tumbler’s then back to Ship!’ Carpet wasn’t as sure of himself as he sounded but he picked up his pace and followed the lady on the horse. Anyway what choice did they have? The rest of the compound was filling in behind them and the only thing in front? Row after row of small cabins and the beautiful lady atop the horse.

.....~~Sibling Rivalry~~.....

Dag and Brittle now had some decisions to make, and not much time before nightfall to do so.

"Well?" Dag demanded. Beside her, Sslar stood facing Brittle. The cat's long tail was whipping back and forth in irritation, and she licked her whiskered lips menacingly as Brittle paced back and forth across the small clearing they had found. "It's clear that we can't get much farther with only provisions for one," she said. "Your share of the food and water is back at home now, and my lunch sack wasn't that big to begin with."

"I realize that, sister," hissed Lancelot. "I'm thinking!"

Dag tossed a stick onto the small fire they had built and pulled her cloak closer around her. A few yards away her mare snorted contentedly as it munched on the undergrowth that was so plentiful in this place where so few ventured. Sslar had wandered the perimeter of the rocky campsite, and no more snakes were flushed out.

"What I don't clearly understand is why a copperhead would be above ground and active on a winter day," Brittle admitted.

"You think someone planted it to ambush you?" Dag asked.

Brittle stopped mid-pace and looked at her. Slowly his jaw fell open. "That has to be it," he said. "Someone had to have brought it into the area recently, from a warm shelter."

"That or we're not as far from a warm shelter as you're presuming," said Dag. "And if they had one to plant, I'm thinking they have plenty. So if we are trespassing on someone's viper-farm, we are in trouble indeed. There's nothing on the map indicating property boundaries, but I've a feeling that these wilds are rather less often surveyed than one might hope. How far is it to Fairy Stone Mountain?"

"Another day and a half," said Brittle. "But, like you said, we don’t have provisions enough to get there. And I'm not going looking for the viper-breeder's place, but be my guest if you'd like to."

"And leave you here alone?" asked Dag. "I think not. What I think is that we should use the flare that Fiona gave us. Your horse would have run back home, and the outfitters would know what that meant. I expect someone will come after us." She paused. "I hope," she added and frowned, remembering the boy.

Now it was Brittle's turn to frown and he looked at her pleadingly. "Are you sorry you agreed to leave the temple?"

Dag shook her head. "I don't know," she answered. "I'm just…I'm lonesome for my friends, and worried about them, and I feel a bit put-upon here is all. I'm being selfish and whiney, but why is your agenda more important than mine? Why are we in this stupid situation? Don't you ever wonder who's really running the show?"

Twilight was deepening and Brittle was rummaging through the provisions while she spoke. "Yes, I wonder," he said. "And you are right, it's time to use the flare."

He withdrew the box of matches and extracted one, and lit the fuse. The strange trio watched silently as the flare shot high over the treetops. Its fiery crimson glowed for about 15 seconds and then fizzled out. Each of them sat motionless then, desperately listening for a sound, an indication that someone nearby had seen the signal and was close enough to come find them. Sslar's big ears swiveled independently, and Brittle put his head to the ground to listen for vibrations. Dag closed her lovely eyes to focus on her hearing, trying to fight off her rising despair and anger.

Neither she nor Brittle heard anything remotely comforting, but when Sslar began to purr and then lowered her torso to the ground, crossed her paws, and laid her heavy green muzzle on them, Dag knew they were going to be found.

Two and a half miles away, Ben rode in the thickening darkness. The red glow of the flare caught his attention immediately, and as he watched it he smiled. He should reach them soon, and then he could help get this show on the road.

What he didn't realize was that the horse had just stepped over the Excalibur, unnoticed where it lay in the path next to half of a copperhead's corpse.

....................................................~The Way Back~.................................................

The forked-flags barely moved on their poles as Boy In A Dress stepped out onto the walkway
on the East wall of Camelot, the faint sound of Gordon Lightfoot's 1974 hit 'Sundown' came
from the smiling Man/Girl's lips as he heard the town clock chime midnight.

"You drive a hard bargain, Demon..."Lancelot spat from the shadows near the South-Turret
doorway "... my liege will hunt you down like an animal to reclaim Excalibur" he hissed and
laid the sackcloth-wrapped weapon at BIAD's high-heels.
"And you will keep your part of the bargain?" the angry-browed Knight asked menacingly
and stared at the long-fringed covered face above him.

The engraved blade sparked light from the wall-torches as Lancelot revealed the hallowed
sword of King Arthur, how he'd obtained it -BIAD would wager Guinevere played some part
in the devious act, but he nodded that he would remain quiet about the Queen and her
heavy-petting with the French youngster.



Reaper watched the odd-looking creature that he'd believed was Guinevere and if the horse
could rationalise, he would arrive at the conclusion that Merlyn had applied one of his many
spells on the big stallion. The half-stable door creaked as Reaper scratched his broad neck
on the worn wood and went back to thinking about the donkey he missed.

BIAD passed silently across the courtyard, through the Blacksmith's quarters and for some
reason, another long-ago song came into his head and once again, Boy In A Dress mumbled
the lyrics to himself.

The Great Beyond...

The moon made the Rose Garden a pale world where ghost-flowers showed off during the
Witching Hour, the red-dressed hermaphrodite enjoyed this time and stopped to smell the
night-perfume.
.......................................................................................

The Gnomes Welcome...

The music was powerful from the Gnomes among Stonehenge's outer-circle, drums of
hollowed tree trunks and stretched deer-skin thrummed the night air. The lights of the
Faery-vanguard weaved and dived about BIAD's head as he shouldered the sack-cloth
package and stepped among the huge Sarcen stones.

The whole area glowed with warm-loving hues and there at the Henge's centre stood
the beauty known as Pandora, a golden box lay ay her feet.



"I apologise for your brother being unable to attend..." Pandora said with a smile, she waved
her hand at the sweeping eldritch-glows "...he has a problem with our friends here"
BIAD nodded and took his burden and placed it down on the grass between them.

"I will leave now and I wish to be at Nenothu's side. Any deviation from that request and any
deal we have will be no longer valid... do you agree?" BIAD stated and put one red-nailed
hand on his hip, the other remained cletched.

Pandora nodded without interest and continued to stare at the bundle of cloth near BIAD's
high-heels "Yes-yes... whatever you wish" she said quickly.
The drums stopped as the creature known as Boy In A Dress slipped away from sight and
the black-haired female in the starling-blue robe stood with her hands clasped at her breast.


"You'll go where I wish -Boy, and never forget you crossed the one-and-only Pandora" she
roared and laughed like a maniac, the Fairies fled towards the woods and their land-bound
cousins scampered into the darkness around the Henge.

Pandora knelt and carefully picked at the knot that held the sacking closed, her breath stayed
in her throat with the excitement.
BIAD smiled and focused on where he wanted to be, the chunk of Sarcen-stone in his hand
throbbed as he wished his way forward in time.

The tall-robed figure stood behind Pandora and admired her bare back, Death searched the
night for any straying Faery and then peered over his love's slender shoulder.

Excalibur -that weapon that held so much power and marked time in a way that would rival
The Splitter, the sword that moved through dimensions and the blade that could cleave the
hardest of diamonds... was not there.

The perfume from the rose bouquet wafted past the nostrils of Pandora, coiled past the
dark hood of The Grim Reaper and slipped towards the starry sky above Stonehenge.

"I think the expression is 'Double-cross' darling" Death said and couldn't help but smile to
himself.

......................................~The Space Between Us~.........................................

The jeep bumped it's way through the mist and Boy In A Dress glimpsed images
of past-events sliding in and out of the grey fog, BIAD saw King Henry VIII of England
and Theodore Roosevelt pass by -actually wave.

The crazy Man/Girl waved back politely and then turned to see who was driving the
World War II vehicle.

"Yer' made it" Telly Savalas said from under his battered Paratrooper Helmet and hard eyes
scanned the hermaphrodite. BIAD noticed that none of his fingers were missing and offered
a smile, his brother was also under that helmet.

"In Kelly's Heroes... "BIAD said and leaned closer to the sweat-sheened War-Dog "when Telly
played 'Big-Joe' -his finger was still missing" Death/Mr. Savalas' face lost it's confident look
and his dark Greek-eyes flicked to his hands on the steering wheel.

The two brothers continued their bumpy journey for a few minutes without anymore words.
It was just after the long limousine with Jack Kennedy and his lovely wife cruised past on it's
way to Dealey Plaza -that Big-Joe lit a cigarette with his Zippo lighter and spoke.

"She's not a happy bunny, yer' know... Pandora ah' mean" he said and treated BIAD to a
serious look, the cigarette smoke slipped away over his shoulder.
"I don't know the full yarn yet..." the red-lips were licked as BIAD spoke "but I'll guess you
and your 'girlfriend' are trying to screw this reality over somehow" and the Man/Girl passed
the serious look back.

Big Joe flicked the butt out over the side of the jeep and facing the front, he frowned
dramatically at the dirt-spattered windscreen. "You got me all-wrong, bro... ah'm just in
the collectin' game and she's not my girlfriend" Death rasped and moving the chin-strap to
one side, he scratched his cheek.

"You're hiding it..." Boy In A Dress chirped and showed a grin that broke the mood, Big Joe
crumpled his brow with disappointment and shook his head "Naw man, it's just a sword...just
a sword" Death wheezed and his voice trailed off.

"No, your finger...you've tucked it underneath" BIAD reiterated and pointed at the beefy
hand on the gear-shift, Joe's chiseled features flushed red and the hard look returned.

"The Man/Girl sat quietly in the worn-leather seat and grinned out into the mist, twelve
huge mushroom clouds glowed in the cloud of grey and he realised he was nearly back to
the time that the Yydryl crew had been dropped on the Future-Earth.

His brother had over-played his hand and BIAD told himself that Pandora had a plan that
involved the sword, but she would never find it... he made sure of that.
He also reminded himself that Death could read his mind, so the whereabouts of the weapon
didn't surface in his thoughts.

The speed of the jeep slowed to a stop and Big Joe lay his arms across the big steering wheel
and looked at his brother, Death's eyes searched the sunny-smile face for any clues.
"She'll be after you now... you know that?" Death said in a caring tone and offered a weak
grin.

BIAD sighed and holding the hem of his dress to not show his ass, he stepped out of the
Jeep. "I know and I'm guessing again that my brother will keep a weather-eye out for my
welfare" he said and shook his hair over his shoulder.

Big Joe removed his net-covered helmet and revealed a shiny bald pate, 'like total opposites'
BIAD thought and kept the smile on his face.

"The Splitter is trying to get yer' all back together" Death said easily and reached inside his
sweat-darkened shirt. "Take these..." Joe said and tossed his dog-tags towards the Man/Girl,
BIAD caught them in a girl-like catch and peered at the stamped metal.

"kokopelli will need payment" Death muttered and clunked the Jeep into gear, without
another word, he sped off into the mist.



Boy In A Dress looked up from the chain and tags and saw the hunched figure with the flute
watching him from smooth boulder he was sitting on, the mist had gone and the blue sky
looked down on the two creatures.

"Welcome to Hobbs End" the Native American God said amiably.

.............................................~From A To B~...................................................

The cemetery told Tibbs and Mucklebones that nobody had tended any of the graves
in a long time, sawgrass and goldenrod grew in profusion everywhere. The small robed
-figure looked forlorn as he and the Gray alien made their way with care to the grave site
mentioned in the letter.

"Do you wish me to pick you up?" Mucklebones said and looked down at her weed-focused
lover, Tibbs shook his head and lifted his robe-hem from some menacing burrs.


A large toad watched from a crumbing gravestone that told of a nice guy who would wait
at the gates of heaven for his wife and the white-skinned amphibian's belly covering the
deceased's surname -seemed to ridicule the sentiment.

The dark eyes of the Canyon Witch searched ahead for the marker and there -fighting
against a marauding blackberry bush, a stone plinth leaned west with dwindling grace.
"Are you sure this will work?" Tibbs hissed and glanced at the throbbing toad, the high
weeds seemed to fall away as they closed on the grave.

Mucklebones kept her gaze on the marker and answered from the side of her mouth "it's
time we used the planet's Gods... we've tried technology" the last sentence spoken with
a sour tone.

Tabaldak stepped into the reality as the two travellers arrived at the grave, he had heard
Mucklebones' earlier chanting, mumbling that had woken Tibbs that morning.
The same Tibbs now looked on a creature that would rival Boy In A Dress' figure and with
exception of the heavy-set shoulders and the golden-glow from Tabaldak's eyes, the Native
-American deity and BIAD could be sisters.

"You have lost your way and you seek the correct trail...?" Tabaldak said easily and the lines
around the androgynous-creature's eyes creased with kind concern "... you are wise to ask
the way" the black-haired Tabaldak said softly and bowed at the poncho-wrapped alien.
Mucklebones smiled -as best as she could and pulled the small Vithian into view, Tibbs'
fingers itched for his handset to analyse this ethereal-being.

"My man and me... myself -need to locate our friends and I -through signs in the soil of this
planet, it told me that Gods such as you still inhabit this place.
Tabaldak smiled and breathed in the pollen-soaked air, the deity's bone-ribbed vest shifted
to show a large busom. "My toll is small and I seek nothing that will harm you... the one you
know as 'Nenothtu'...? he interests me" said the tall figure in the deer-skin leggings, Tibbs
glanced at the pants and saw faded star-signs.
Mucklebones and her smaller-mate waited politely for Tabaldak to continue.

A large moth wandered across the space between the Native American creator and his quiet
audience and Tabaldak placed a thick index finger to his lips.
"There are those who seek other paths... darker trails" he whispered and watched the fluttering
Lepidoptera move towards the white toad. Moments later, the bleached amphibian pulled his
sticky tongue back into it's head and belched from it's late-morning breakfast.

Tabaldak bowed towards the blinking creature and turned back to Mucklebones and Tibbs.
"I require his essence... his oils, have I said this correctly?" he said and showed features of
concern, Tibbs would later ponder on the manners of this cemetery-dwelling Being.

Muckles released the Vithian's hand and it disappeared into her poncho, her eyes never left
Tabaldak's face.
"You speak well Sir... and I have what you charge" the crone said and pulled the dark-coloured
rag from the darkness of the garment.
"Sweat... you need Neno's sweat" Muckles hissed and stepped forward with the crumpled
cloth, Tibbs wanted to follow her -but resisted the urge.

Tabaldak smiled fatherly and put both hands out in a receiving gesture, but the canny Witch
hesitated in giving the payment "You will show us the way?" she said and held the rag just
above the outstretched hands.

(Continued Below)

(Continued From Above)

The God that made everything-but-one scowled and the two travellers felt the morning's
warm temperature drop in the graveyard "You doubt my honour?" Tabaldak growled and
showed lupine-eyes.

Mucklebones gulped and dropped the cloth into the large hands of the God and whispered
"I'm sorry... we have met many who's honour means nought" the dark hollows of the alien
lowered in her embarrassment.

Many quiet seconds passed in the cemetery, the God stared at the material in his possesion
and Tibbs wondered why this simple article would hold such wonder for the Being in the
animal-skin attire.


It was the toad that broke the peace with a deep croak "Take your mate's hand..." the golden-
eyed Tabaldak said and tucking the cloth inside the ornate vest, he closed his eyes in
reverence "...The winds will take us to where your people wait for you, close your eyes too"

They both felt the strange pull into the air, Muckles had once performed a spell that had seen
her fly through the night sky on Hallows Eve, she recognised the feeling.
Tibbs gasped and spluttered -but he kept his eyelids tightly-closed, his little feet wriggled for
purchase under his robes.

"One-one thousand, two-one thousand..." the Vithian muttered to himself and squeezed the
Witch's wrinkled hand, the touch of passing air told him they were flying.

With his beard flapping like the wings of the late-moth of the cemetery, the two lovers flew
across the countryside like Dorothy in her tornado.

But would this airborne yellow-bricked road lead to their goal?

............................................~Your First Day At School~............................................

The hulking figure of Kokopelli seemed at odds with Boy In A Dress' expectations of the
Native American flute-player. When Professor Shaw had taken BIAD from the small
laboratory in Corona -New Mexico to Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, the Man/Girl's
creator had decided to drive the all the way there.

The scientist who would later be murdered in a derelict train by shadowy-figures that Boy
In A Dress still hunted -told his 'experiment' that he would show him some of the surrounding
States and so with a meandering map on BIAD's bare lap, the two men drove West into
Arizona.

Kokopelli was slimmer than the well-muscled Being on the rock... well, that is what the
Gift Shop ornaments indicated. A hunched-elongated figure with long tendrils poking from
his back and a flute to his mouth, The Kokopelli that watched BIAD step closer was just the
opposite.

"You'll find all Native American gods are cemented in some-sort of ancient truth..." Calvin
Shaw had said as BIAD stood fascinated at the rotating Dream Catchers. "... As the Europeans
came West in their droves, many tales and myths were lost and veneered with the travellers
Christian-style views of folklore"

Shaw had bought his grinning red-dressed passenger a feather wind-chime.



The dog-tags hanging from BIAD's hand clinked together, but certainly not as melodic as that
wind-chime, their light-chips reflected onto Kokopelli's craggy face.

"You come here to find your way back to your companions, Kokopelli is the one you need"
the well-tanned hulk said softly and lifted the flute from behind his back, the slender glass
instrument sparkled in the noon sun. The strange rune-markings across the bulging muscles
twisted and turned into Rattlesnakes and Hare tracks during the action.

"It's true, I'm going back... I'm surprised not to see them here" BIAD said with a slightly-false
disappointed tone, he enjoyed the desert -but still missed his friends.
Kokopelli smiled and grunted, he stepped off the smooth boulder and cast his vast shadow
over the smaller Boy In A Dress.

"Your brother asked me for a favour, a request that... 'surprised'..? the fertility deity looked
to ask if he had used the correct white-man word and after a nod from BIAD, continued.
"... me, he feels you need to realise your place in the universe" Kokopelli fingered the holes
on the crystal flute and again, BIAD found it confusing.
A hulking-figure that wouldn't seem out of place on a battlefield waiting to play out a calm
easy-listening tune on such a fragile instrument.

The desert waited under the baking sun as the two men eyed each other.

"The tales say that you are also a trickster... a God that deceives humans" the hermaphrodite
stated and ignored the Being's staring at his chest, Kokopelli merely snorted and placed the
flute to his lips.

Just before the notes began, the Spirit of Music hissed around the instrument's mouthpiece
"You're not human" and began his tune.

The sky spun and lightning forked across the sky and BIAD's hair stirred with the feel of the
electricity, the ruby-red lips made a 'O'-shaped in the wonder of it all.

Kokopelli plucked the flute from his broader lips and held the glass tube to the sky, red
clouds sailed across the heavens as the thick arms beckoned Kokopelli's fellow-Spirits
to Boy In A Dress' lesson.



"We'll begin at the beginning..." Kokopelli announced.

.................................................~Who's Who...?~....................................................

The desert colours faded and bloomed as the four Elementals came down to
show Boy In A Dress his supposedly correct place amongst time and space, the winds
made mystical shapes in the barren dust.

"There was darkness across the land..." Kokopelli stated in serious tones, the faint shapes
behind his massive frame flickered in time to the fading of the surrounding colours.
"... and though, the stories of my people differ with characters and surroundings, the land
was in shadow and no sun smiled across it"

BIAD placed his red-nailed hands behind his back and crossed his ankles, he always enjoyed
a good story.
Kokopelli continued.

"The sun lay with her pallid lover -the Moon and she shirked her task of bringing light to the
shivering races below, the Earth had shunned her advances eons ago. It was the raven who
first decided to seek out a source of light.
The Tribe-Elders all agreed that the giant black bird should set out across the mountains and
rivers to bring illumination and so, the raven began his quest"

A tall shape of black loomed into view and Kokopelli touched the dark shadow's shoulder
with his flute, tiny sparks of light showed for a second on the contact.
"Many white-eyes confuse that bird with this Spirit and muddy the folklore waters..."
whispered the broad-shouldered Deity with the wide tines protruding from his back "... The
Raven Mocker is entirely different"

The Raven Mocker or Ka'lanu ahkyeli'ski nodded towards the Man/Girl with the awe-struck
face, BIAD saw a long black cloak and hood covering the strange Spirit.
A mask of some-sort hid the entity's face and the long-fringed Being in the red high-heels
saw a large beak to indicate a Raven.

"How do you do?" BIAD said politely and curtsied, both Gods looked astounded at the
bare-legged hermaphrodite. Raven Mocker mumbled through the facade "I am well,
thank you" and this too drew a surprised expression from the bigger Kokopelli.

The sinewed neck of BIAD's host throbbed a nerve as he continued the story.

"The Raven flew high and after many falls and after following many lost trails, he came
across a camp where an old man resided. The man cherished a daughter who held a secret,
a box... a box that held the light in the universe and the Raven knew he must have that casket
at all costs"

Boy In A Dress imagined a wizend old-man with a bald head sitting infront of a flickering
campfire, he aslo envisioned a night-black haired girl with beautiful looks. "The bird stole
the box?" BIAD asked and showed a genuine smile, but Kokopelli ignored the question.

"The Raven spent many years learning the ways of the human, he transformed himself into
an infant that would visit the camp and enjoy the old man's company.
The man came to trust the Raven-child and so, one day he showed the secret-box to the
small visitor and has he held it in his hands, the Raven transformed into it's true-self and
grabbing the box in his beak, he fled and took the light to those who waited in the dark
across the mountains. So the universe had light" Kokopelli said and bowed his head in
reverence.

The Raven Mocker accompanied the gesture and BIAD copied the two Beings before him.
The world turned and the three shapes further away ebbed and flowed with form, yet
Boy In A Dress thought it prudent not to race ahead and ask about them.

(Continued Below)

(Continued From Above)

"Gitche Manitou is wise and sees all, my friend" Kokopelli muttered and showed a wicked
smile "the answer to the question you wished to ask is 'Yes'... the daughter was Pandora"
and gazed again at Boy In A Dress' cleavage.

Ka'lanu ahkyeli'ski was suddenly close to the smaller Man/Girl, his cloak slipped around
BIAD's legs like a morning mist. "I know your brother well, dear BIAD... I frequent his halls
of gloom and on occasions, discussed your journey here" The large false-beak moved up
and down as the Raven Mocker spoke and the eyeless hermaphrodite thrusted his head
forward to locate the true face of the deity.

"Though your calling was to be in another existence of time-and-space, this universe
finds you here and with the aid of your Warlock and The Sword Of God, you must begin
your journey to rule over all" The Raven Mocker spoke kindly and BIAD pondered if the
even-tones of the mysterious Being had caught many a girl's attention.

"Stay focused on your trail, Boy... do not lose your shoes in the mud of your lessers"
Kokopelli growled and the Man/Girl nodded that he understood.

"The Warlock you speak of... is that the Vithian?" BIAD asked and showed features to
indicate it was genuine question, Kokopelli's storm-carrying brow eased and a smile
broke across the hefty lips.

"He is and he will be loyal to your task..." The Raven Mocker answered and then both
Spirits looked at each other in silence.

"What...? what?" BIAD asked and glanced from Ka'lanu ahkyeli'ski-to- Kokopelli, his black
hair swung across his shoulders.
It was the flute-player who answered and his tone was deadly-serious.

"The one known as The Sword of God, the one you call Nenothtu..." Kokopelli said "the
power he carries in his heart and his hands can lift you to rule the pillars of heaven or..."
Lightning danced across the dark-brown clouds behind the muscle-packed figure as he
pondered on how to continue.

"Go on" BIAD hissed and wanted to run his fingers through his dark tresses, his mind
raced with possible scenarios.

It was The Raven Mocker who finished the little-known legend "... or he will take his
rightful place as Lord of The Universe, the throne that you have been destined to hold"
BIAD looked out across the dark-desert and smiled weakly.

~*~ Reunion ~*~

‘Look boys this job is gonna be a bit irregular but I‘ll make sure you get a double days pay and free drinks for the night.’ Margo promised dismounting and leading Mac’s horse into the stables without turning. Carpet and Chumley made noises of thanks and continuing to follow her out the back of the long horse barn. Rounding the farthest corner of shacks Margo picked the only one with a candle burning in the window and stepped through the door. So unprepared was she to come face to face with the ‘alien’ pointing a knife at her throat Margo would have fallen if the ‘roustabouts’ had not been there to catch her.

‘What are you doing here!’ Margo’s shock took the bite out of her snarl.

Sheathing the knife Silo’s shoulders fell. ‘I’m here to help him just like you are. He’s dying.’ Silo motioned to Gep lying on the cot where Pip sat clinging to his hand silent tears rolling down the boys face.

‘Let go of me you fools!‘ Margo hissed at the hands supporting her and stepped farther into the room glowing with candle and firelight. Margo caught her breath. She’s always thought firelight was kind. In Gep’s case it was horrific. The shadows under his eyes stood out in great relief against cheeks so devoid of blood he looked translucent.

‘Oh my Jenovah!’ Margo choked. The vision of Gep she’d seen over the security cameras had done nothing to prepare her for the sight, or smell of the man she loved lying bloodless and dying on a filthy cot. ‘He’ll die if he stays here!‘ She nearly sobbed.

‘I know where we can take him,’ Silo burst out without thinking then hesitated her eyes wide and purple with fear, ‘I’m just not sure how to get there.‘ She added miserably. Silo knew Gep’s only hope was the Recovery Bay but where was Ship? The two men in the shadows made noises but Margo hushed them with a wave of her hand.

‘A lot a bloody help you are!‘ Margo barked at the girl. Watching all the love, pain and hope sparkling in her eyes Margo’s jealousy had tripled but one look at Gep and she softened. ‘Look, I‘m sorry,’ Margo passed a hand over here eyes, ‘I’ve got is some laudanum but the only doctor in the compound? I wouldn’t trust with my horse. We’ll have to do the rest.’ Feeling helpless and strangely left out Margo took a step closer to Gep and tried not to cringe. He was filthy. The meager bandages binding his wounds were yellowed and putrid. Whoever had brought Gep here under Taggart’s orders to tend to him had not.

‘Give him this in a cup a water.’ Margo handed Silo a vial she’d pulled from her skirts motioning for Pip to bring water from the barrel in the corner. Silo did as she was told pouring the liquid into water changing it milky. Margo wished she’d turned away when Silo bent to whisper in Gep’s ear. Her tenderness with Gep was almost too much for Margo to bare.

‘Once the laudanum takes effect we’ll get him cleaned up. It’s good you waited. If you’d tried before now the pain would have killed him.’ Margo regretted offering the girl a kindness when those lavender eyes turned on her brimming with thanks and that terrible terrible hope. ’Now where is this place you ‘can’t remember’? He can’t stay here any longer.‘ Margo’s sense of urgency had returned like a blow.

‘We can help with that.’ Carpet said from the shadows unable to remain silent anymore.

Turning Margo faced the roustabout who moved past her into the room. She blinked, frowned, and blinked again. ‘You!‘ She gawked incredulously, ‘But you can’t be here!’ She’d given the man Taggart had turned into pulp enough laudanum to drop a horse! More than they’d given Gep! Margo pressed herself against the door her hand over her heart and watched the drama unfold.

Ignoring Margo’s outburst Silo whispered a name, stood up from the cot and called his name again in disbelief. ‘Neno?‘ All her hope has taken form and walked right into the room. Her hand outstretched Silo took a step closer when Chumley pushed passed Margo into the room.

‘What the..!‘ Silo cried and jumped back. Faced with two Neno’s she pulled her knife positioning herself between them, Gep and Pip. ‘You’re not Neno, either of you!’ Silo crouched readied to attack looking from one apparition to the other appalled by what she was seeing.

‘Put the knife down Silo.‘ Carpet said levelly without moving but Chumley had no hesitation. Swaying right up to Silo grinning a grin she would have known anywhere, or on anyone, Chumley held open his arms.

‘Chumley!‘ Her knife forgotten Silo threw herself at him burying her head against his neck sobbing. “I’m so glad you’re here!‘ She pulled back and the pair exchanged their signature ‘high five.’

‘But who’s this guy?‘ Silo thumbed to the second ‘Neno’ laughing in pure relief. If the big Regalian was here Ship couldn‘t be too far off. Chumley didn’t answer her he just kept grinning and nodded for her to take a look herself.

Turning to Carpet Silo did look - straight into the candle light flickering in his eyes. All her smiles fell away.

‘Carpet?’ Silo whispered leaving her mouth slightly open her knees going suddenly weak.

‘Yes Silo.’ Carpet nodded and like a U-Man took her into his arms for the first time in his life.